Saudi Arabia's King Salman has replaced the country's energy minister with one of his own sons, naming Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman to one of the most important positions in the kingdom.

Khalid al-Falih was replaced as energy minister just days after losing his position as board chairman of the state-owned oil giant Aramco. Al-Falih also saw his portfolio diminished last week when a new ministry of mining and industry was created, removing that sector from the purview of the energy ministry.

New Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz is an older half-brother to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and formerly minister of state of energy affairs. The two brothers are not believed to be close.

FILE - In this June 23, 2018 file photo, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih attends a news conference in Vienna, Austria. Saudi Arabia’s renewed push to publicly list its most valuable entity, Aramco, is part of a high-stakes masterplan by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. In a step toward a potential initial public offering, the state-owned company this week moved to distance itself from the government by replacing al-Falih as board chairman with the finance-minded Yasir al-Rumayyan, who heads the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the country’s sovereign wealth fund. (AP PhotoRonald Zak, File)

FILE - In this June 23, 2018 file photo, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih attends a news conference in Vienna, Austria. Saudi Arabia’s renewed push to publicly list its most valuable entity, Aramco, is part of a high-stakes masterplan by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. In a step toward a potential initial public offering, the state-owned company this week moved to distance itself from the government by replacing al-Falih as board chairman with the finance-minded Yasir al-Rumayyan, who heads the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the country’s sovereign wealth fund. (AP PhotoRonald Zak, File)

The change was announced early Sunday in a royal decree published by the state-run Saudi Press Agency.